A World Gone Mad
by Nerro
Summary: AU When the earth shakes, waves eat away the land, winds destroy homes with mother nature's wrath and everything you once loved is stolen from you, what then drives you to survive? DinoxOC ON HIATUS
1. Cafe We Met

Disclaimer – Don't own.

I know, I know. So, why did you decide to write ANOTHER DinoxOC when you've already written and completed one long ago? Well…I just had the biggest epiphany and a damn powerful urge to write this so LET ME BE. Originally I planned to write some simple fluff fanfic but it just wasn't me, I get goosebumps if I write too much cheese, so I'm writing something much, much more Nerro-like instead bahahaha. This is my first fanfic in first person, I write original stories in first person but never a fanfiction. It felt weird to do so...

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

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**A World Gone Mad**

**Chapter 1: Café We Met**

The discerning part of me had always led to bitter days of loneliness. I was not a nasty person, as vain as it may sound, I pride myself in being good at heart and compassionate when needed. But somehow that was never enough for the little bits of happiness that I yearned for, for example...

Love.

Yes – love. Call me the girl without dreams, the cliché, the damsel in distress, but really this is what I've always wanted. More than once I would sit on a bench with all sorts of products on my face in hopes a nice guy would shuffle by and halt at the sight of me. Was I beautiful? I sure wanted to be, but was I really? That's what I'd like to know, but I've never been told so. Everyday there was an endless war between my high and low self esteem, one minute I'd be looking in the mirror checking myself out and murmuring _'Damn girl' _and the next I'd be hugging my knees and sobbing _'WHY GOD WHY?_'.

Sometimes, I wish I never expected so much. I blame the tactless romance stories I've grown up with, from movies, to novels, to shoujo manga. I've always wondered if I'll ever get married, it's strange to talk to a friend and hear them say _'When I have kids…when I get married' _like it was a predetermined, absolute future. Although I want and think of love, I do find myself questioning the absolution of marriage. Besides, I was still young at twenty-one and had no direction in life.

Of course, my exterior self would never allow these ridiculous musings to show, I had a pride that was too overbearing. What I really did was scoff at the thought of relationships and bitterly watch couples walk by. Whenever a friend of mine came to me with news of a new boyfriend, I was always surprised to find myself feeling pure resentment and jealously over her bliss. I repeat – I was not a nasty person, but that didn't mean I was completely nice, probably the perfect word for me was _human_. I was externally cool and internally a hot mess.

University was on break so I had wasted the first week of my freedom at home, lying on my bed and drowning in vivid dreams about lying on the sandy beach under the cool shade of a palm tree. These dreams inspired me to actually go out of my way and ride my motorcycle to the nearest beach, but instead of heading straight for the ocean's water, a sudden, strange premonition drove me to the beachside café. I barely glanced at the name as I strode in and took a seat.

"Good morning, what would you like today?" came a generic greeting from a tall woman.

"Mocha thanks," I responded with equal courteousness, placing my satchel beside my chair. I looked around with natural curiosity, the place was colour coded brown and green with burgundy chairs and a huge cream rug at the centre. In my honest opinion, I liked it for its earthy feel.

Once my coffee was settled down before me, I began to take small sips and gazed at nothing in particular. I turned my attention to the plasma TV on the wall, the local news was showing some footage of a panic-stricken city in America. My first thought was that it was a riot, and didn't think too much into it, the words the anchorwoman spoke simply drifted through my ears. Something about public chaos and everything going wrong.

Another customer came in, and I almost spilt my coffee at the sight of him. I'd like to say I wasn't so affected by appearance so much as personality, but admittedly I had a shallow side to me, but in my defence, what person didn't? He who had walked in was a foreigner. I had not known any during my twenty one years living in Namimori , occasionally I would see some in the streets or at my university but none were more than strangers. This one in particular was a handsome sight, and his blond hair was so sleek yet ruffled, and that smile on his face was dazzling. Under his shine I felt so lackluster with my dark hair and grey eyes. As well as being mesmerized, I was envious of his looks.

He ordered a cappuccino with two spoons of sugar and took a seat two tables behind me. Our eyes met very briefly as he walked by, and although I felt a surge of anxiousness and blood rush to my cheeks, I knew he had not noticed I was even there. Ah, so it was true, guys that were blessed with good looks wouldn't look twice at a girl if she wasn't equally as attractive. I felt like thanking him sourly for confirming I was out of his league.

Slyly, I pretended to bend over my seat and dig through my satchel. I stole a quick glance in his direction and saw him looking through his phone without even a hint of interest in me. In frustration and with a slight feeling of humiliation I took out my own phone and checked the time. It was nearly noon. Pushing him out of my mind I looked elsewhere. Outside the glossy glass windows that stretched across the front of the café, there was a clear view of the beach bustling with locals and tourists. The ocean looked particularly calm today, the waves being little more than slight ripples.

When I had sat and stalled for long enough, I lamented at the thought of getting up. The handsome foreigner had not left yet and although I was annoyed that I was apparently not good enough for his attention, that didn't stop me from wanting to be near him. I sighed and got up to leave. As I left through the open doors of the café and mounted my motorcycle I took one last look at the direction of the beach. I checked the time – it was exactly twelve thirty – and then lifted my helmet that hung from the handle, but before putting it over my head someone had tapped me on the shoulder. I almost fell off my motorbike when I met eye to eye with the bright brown eyes that belonged to the blonde. He caught my helmet before it could smash onto the ground and steadied me.

"Careful," his tender voice reeked with amusement. He handed me my helmet and held out my red android in his other hand. "You forgot this."

"Oh, thank you," I said coolly, but inside me was an inferno. What good deed had I done to deserve this? You (Mr handsome ) can keep my phone. Not really, I took it from him and suppressed a smile, making me seem ungrateful. When I thought things were about to get better, he waved me a goodbye and left me to stand there stupidly. Befuddled, I was angry at myself for thinking I even had a chance.

With him in my thoughts I buckled on my helmet, mounted my motorcycle and turned the ignition. The engine coughed hoarsely, spitting its fumes out. I turned the throttle and rode in the direction of the beach with the wind whipping against my visor and piercing through my black cardigan. I should have worn something thicker. My parents had always insisted I drove a car instead of those 'dangerous and rebellious gangster two-wheelers' – they had called it, but I preferred the versatility of having a small vehicle, and to be honest they really did make me feel badass. I swerved to a halt beside the curb. There weren't many cars around so I could safely park under a tree so I wouldn't have to sit on a hotplate once I got back.

As I took off my helmet and set it down, I heard a low rumble like the start of lightning on a cloudy day. I kept still. I listened for the source but found none for minutes, and when it seemed pointless to wait any longer the ground erupted with a vicious shake. I swayed backwards and almost fell on my head if I hadn't grabbed onto my break. Everything happened so fast I had no time to scream in terror when the earth lunged itself back and forth like a wave. I was pushed to the ground by my falling bike and it collapsed on top of me. I cried out in pain and squirmed from under the weight. I called for help but the locals nearby were in too much panic to notice me.

The earth seemed to quake forever as I listened to the rattling side-mirrors of my fallen bike. I did not look up to see what was happening to my surroundings. I clung stiffly to the gravel, letting my heart beat chaotically in fear. I could feel and hear cracks and the sound of shattering glass piercing my eardrums. Screams and cries were being thrown around like javelins.

After one last violent tremble, the earth came to a halt. I did not dare to look up. I kept my face low, staring at the ground, absorbing the situation. For a long time I shut my eyes. This was a dream, surely, but it wasn't, for soon enough I would have to get up and see the aftermath and wonder when someone would come to my aid. I'd always see it on the news, heard of it from distant family even, but never in my life did I expect myself to be in the middle of one, and to be crushed under my own vehicle which I ironically bought for all the wrong reasons; I should at least consider myself lucky this was all I suffered. I felt the heavy weight lift from my back and gasped as I was turned over by my unknown saviour. I opened my eyes and saw the blonde from the café, his brown eyes searching me eagerly.

"Can you move?" he asked, reaching out his hand.

I moved my legs first, and then the rest of my body, and was relieved to find nothing was broken. Though I could feel painful bruises forming all over, it was hardly something to be complaining about. The blonde helped me up, and I scrutinized my surroundings, my heartbeat still rapid and fresh with adrenaline. I relaxed a little at what I saw, buildings had not collapsed like I'd thought, and although glass windows were shattered and there were some signs that an earthquake had visited, it was not dire. People were looking around with baffled expressions, and some had begun to go about like nothing had happened.

"Thank you," I said, holding back the urge to cry.

"It's fine, are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

I nodded, and then checked my bike for any damage, the left mirror had crack slightly but it was nothing noticeable. Relieved, I bent down and picked up my helmet.

"I've never felt something so powerful, does this usually happen in this city?" he mused.

"No actually, it's never been this strong in Namimori. Where are you from?"

"Italy, I'm here to see friends."

That was rare, his Japanese was superb. I resisted the urge to ask anymore, now was just not the best time. The locals were beginning to chatter a lot, and some had gone around helping the less fortunate store owners that had quite a bit to clean up after that fright. I looked towards the beach and found myself wondering whether it was possible the worst was about to happen. Impossible, right? Was the shoreline starting to recess very quickly, or was I imagining things? It was just not possible this would happen right here in Namimori…not possible. I'd lived here all my life and nothing, not even a tiny tremor had ever touched Namimori, until now…

"If you're alright now, I'm going to go see if anyone else needs help," I heard him say.

I did not look away from the recessing shore where young children were following inwards with naïve fascination. Their parents followed stupidly, urging their children to move back. The ocean had receded so far back that fishing boats were left stranded on the sand, as were small fish and sea-plants. I looked at the blonde, who was looking worriedly at me, and I realised I hadn't said a word for a while now.

"I think it's best if I called the ambulance—"

"MOVE BACK! GET AWAY FROM THE BEACH!" cried a local man. The tourists that were idly walking closer looked at him in confusion. Realising what was about to happen, I turned to warn the blonde, but he had run towards the direction of the beach. I thought he had a death wish, and I thought he was as ignorant as those tourists until I heard him say something urgently in English. I could only understand bits and pieces from limited knowledge given to me in highschool but I knew he was explaining the danger that was about to unfold. He moved closer to the ocean, warning every foreign tourists he could, and soon I could barely see him. I wish my sense of morale were as strong as his, but I was ashamed to say it wasn't. I epitomised human nature.

And then we all saw it, the accumulated monster that was charging forward like a bulldozer. Though it was only visible as a flimsy line of razor sharp claws, the screams had confirmed what was coming. I saw the blonde, still going around explaining to tourists what was happening, he was too engrossed in his efforts to realise the disaster was at his doorstep. I could run now and save myself. My motorcycle would give me the advantage. I looked at him and then looked behind me; he was a stranger, was he even worth the risk? Nobody told him to do that, he could have just stayed beside me and we would've both survived (possibly). Well it wasn't my fault if he died, I wanted to survive, I had parents waiting for me at home. If I was going to run I'd better do it now. Come on. Move. Move or die. More screams and cries catapulted around. I leapt onto my bike, threw on my helmet and cursed angrily at myself, "Fuck!". I turned the ignition and sped towards the direction of the beach, riding over soft sand and yelling for people to move out of my way. I stopped only once I had reached the blonde, a sandstorm brewing from beneath my spinning tires. I lifted my visor so he could see me.

"GET ON, NOW!" I barked.

He looked at me, then looked at the imbeciles and ignorant people that were still loitering around the beach. He shook his head.

"You saved me, so forget it if you think I'm just going to leave you here!" I growled and reached over to pull him roughly behind me. He stumbled forward and caught my shoulder before he could fall. I wouldn't let him go when he struggled back, and seeing that he was going to drag me down with him if he didn't get on soon, he gave in and mounted the bike. I felt the heat of his body along my back, but now wasn't the time to relish. Turning around, I rode full speed ahead, clumsily dodging the trees and people that were in the way, the last words I heard before my wheels had left the sand completely rung like a morning alarm in my head.

"TSUNAMI! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"


	2. Break Free

Much thanks for the first chapter reviews, I was absolutely stoked all of you were readers of my previous fics! I wanna give you all a virtual hug! COME HERE YOU.

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**Chapter 2: Break Free**

I had no idea how fast I was going, but I knew it wasn't fast enough, because although I could see the nearest elevating land from where I was the junk-filled water was beginning to surround us. I dared to glance behind me for a quick moment and I saw people scrambling up walls and buildings, and others cling helplessly to trees. I thought it was because I was an selfish, apathetic monster that I never once turned around to save them. I could excuse it by saying it was instead my will to survive, but maybe accepting what I really was would help the guilt wash away faster. I saw a junkyard of cars, furniture, rubble, clothes, mothers, fathers, sisters and toddlers chase after me ruthlessly and I wondered if I would survive or end up a part of the dead mass, I wondered if the blonde man sitting behind me would come out of this alive. I didn't even know his name, and he didn't even know mine. Neither of us had said a word as we drove on, desperate to get away – well at least I was.

I heard my engine die with a peaceful sigh.

"F-Fuck! Not now!" I cursed, my voice slighting quivering. I turned the throttle several times hoping by some miracle the engine would burst into life again. I turned the ignition on and off, on and off. "No! Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" Whatever chances I had for saving the blonde or myself was swallowed up by this tsunami. I felt my eyes water at the sense of hopelessness that suddenly overcame me.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked, his face pale from the ride. Being the passenger, he must have had the time to witness much worse than I'd seen. "Why aren't we moving?"

"The engine…I don't know!" I cried, feeling a mass of hysteria rise in my throat. I tried turning the throttle again and again. "It won't budge! This piece of crap just won't budge!"

For a while we were left stranded in the middle of a drowning street, helpless as I tried to somehow get my motorcycle working again. I was beginning to shake from the overwhelming panic, I could hardly bring my fingers to hold my keys steadily as I turned the ignition repeatedly. I had abused my throttle with so much force that my hands were blistering, but I was too afraid, too much in a frenzy of terror to even notice the pain. I didn't even realise we were now three inches deep in the muddy water that was rising at an unstoppable rate. Suddenly, I felt my helmet fly off my head and firm hands lift me off my bike. My boots moistened right away as I was set down, but before I even had a chance to open my mouth and protest, the blonde had painfully grabbed my arm and began to drag me down the street at running pace. I almost tripped a few times and yelled at him angrily, "What are you doing?"

"Saving us, what does it look like?" he yelled back, though minus the hostile tone. The water had now reached waist level by the time he stopped us near a fairly small motel. The entrance were barely a few feet away, but a sudden brutal current threatened to sweep us away. It was nothing like I'd ever felt before, I couldn't even move without risking my footing. The blonde was more daring, or maybe just stupid, he dove forward and managed to hug onto a wooden post before he could be taken by the current.

The water had now risen to my chest and just as I was pushed off my feet by the powerful force of nature, the blonde had grabbed my hand and reeled me in. My arm felt like it was about to break, but he somehow managed to make his way into the building while I was hanging onto him like a rucksack, pushing passed the floating tables, chairs and knick knacks that obstructed the way. He was stronger than I thought, and I was glad for that.

The water was now too deep for either of us to be standing, and sooner or later the entire floor was going to flood. I was now glad I was wearing my cardigan and not a heavy coat that would probably weigh me down.

"What's your name?" he said loudly over the noisiness of the destruction.

I hardly thought this was the most convenient time to be introducing ourselves, but I replied, "Erika!"

"Okay, Erika, do you see the staircase over there? Well, I'm going to need you to swim ahead of me in that direction so I'll be able to help you if anything goes wrong!"

I was not in the position to argue with whatever plans he had. He obviously knew what he was doing, and I regretted underestimating him back on the beach. I nodded, and slowly paddled my way through the grimy seawater, careful to dodge any sharp or heavy objects hidden underneath. I was about halfway there when I heard a sudden cry behind me. I turned around, treading water to keep afloat, and saw the blonde was now holding onto a table while scrunching his face into a painful furrow.

"You okay?" I asked, struggling to stay afloat and losing energy fast.

He took a moment to recollect himself, I had no idea what was wrong but soon enough he starting swimming towards me again. I swam to whatever was left visible of the enveloped staircase and clambered onto the steps. I turned around and pulled the blonde up by his arms, his damp sleeves making it hard for me to keep a grip. Once he was out of the turbulent water he limped forward and urged me to run up the stairs. The motel itself was only two stories high so we could only go so far. I looked out the broken window and gasped at what I saw. What was once the suburbs of my hometown had become a wreckage within a sea of grey. I could feel bile building up inside of me, and what struck me even more was that the wave, god knows how tall, was coming our way!

"We've got to move higher, it's all we can do," said the blonde, having gone near the water from downstairs to pick up a floating piece of wood. He smashed away the last bits of shards sticking out on the window and chucked the plank aside. He poked his head through the rectangular opening and I watched him slip through and disappear above.

The water had seeped onto our level now, and I once again found myself half-deep within a flood. Scared that he might have left me to climb on my own, I poked my head through the opening. I let out a squeak as I felt myself be lifted onto the roof with the same strong hands that had picked me up off my motorcycle, but this time I felt his strength waver. He groaned as he dragged me up, and dropped tiredly on the tiled surface of the roof. We both lay there, panting and catching out breaths. I was the first to sit up and examine my surroundings, there were others perched onto the rooves of nearby houses and buildings, and some had just made it by the hair.

The waves crashed through, eating away the rest of the untouched land and people that had not made it disappeared without a trace. I stared in horror, my body trembled from both the cold and the catastrophe. It was hard to imagine only moments ago I was sitting in a café, drinking coffee and thinking idly to myself what a handsome guy this Italian was, and now…and now…

The blonde came up beside me, his body leaning over the edge of the roof to pull something up. I helped him with the little strength I had left, and together we heaved up a person that had been caught in the current. The sight of the mangled, bloodied body was the tipping point of the bile I had held in. I turned from the corpse and vomited, emptying whatever was left in my stomach. I fell to my knees as I did. I felt the blonde's hand patting my back gently as I coughed hoarsely. I didn't even care that he had to see me in such an ugly state. I felt sick.

"Sit down, you look like you're about to collapse."

"Tell me this is all a dream," I croaked.

"It's all a dream," he said with a voice so calm I was doubting whether this was even a shock to him. I turned to look at the mangled corpse again, and I would have vomited a second time if I had anything left to throw up. I gagged, and felt his reassuring hand rub my backside. To think I was supposed to be the one saving him in the beginning, but look at me now.

When I was done with feeling sick and looking as unattractive as ever, I turned over and sat on my rear, watching the destruction with a little less reaction than before. The other survivors that were sitting on rooftops or high ground looked as shocked as I was. Namimori was helpless against the sea, and I watched until the end, not knowing what was to become of everyone.

I thought back to when I was sitting at the café and laughed internally at myself once I realised the irony of everything. I had wanted the blonde to notice me, and wasn't it what I got? I was sitting beside him.

"Hey," I said, not looking away, "What's your name?"

"Dino," he replied.

"Think now is a good time to get to know each other?" There was a time and a place for everything, my mind was obvious fucked up enough to be making small talk like nothing was happening around us. I could be going crazy.

"Let it be now or never," he said simply, smiling as he did. If the world was about to end now, I really wouldn't mind having him as the last person I talked to.

"Italy huh? Where do the connections come in?"

"I was homeschooled by a family friend, he came here to teach another younger boy after I graduated. I've become close with the boy and his family since, and I often visit him and my family friend. I know, it's a strange link," he chuckled.

It really was, but I wasn't going to say that. Funny how social norms still applied in the middle of a natural disaster. I went on to ask, "How old are you?"

"Twenty two, you?"

I grinned, "Twenty one."

Dino chuckled again, seemingly amused by our minimal age gap. "So, Erika, are you studying?"

"I'm an art student," I said sheepishly. It was not something my parents were particularly proud of, but luckily they weren't your average parents from Japan and they accepted the fact their daughter wanted to pursue a career in painting. I guess to them it was either have your daughter successful and miserable or broke and content, which I was very thankful for.

Dino, sensing my shame, furrowed his eyebrows, "There's nothing wrong with that, did you really expect me, an Italian, to look down on you for pursuing art – one of the few things that my own country is proud of?"

I gave a sideways glance at him, my smile heightening. "I don't know anything about Italy," I admitted.

"Then I'll be sure to take you around if you ever decide to visit!" a childish smile spread across his lips, his teeth were so perfect I was sure he had braces at some point. I felt at ease with this guy, there was just something about him.

"The waves…they're going back," Dino said suddenly. I looked below and only then did I realise the water was about a metre gone, but not only that, the sea was taking all that it had destroyed back with it.

Dino and I could only watch as the land was left crippled and bare. I could hardly bring myself to look away from the destruction the tsunami had left behind. I had only a stranger to thank for the reason I was still alive, but who could those that had died thank? What about the people that had lost loved ones before their eyes? If my parents hadn't survived, at least I was not there to see it happen. I suddenly felt my insides tie into a knot at the thought of losing my parents, I couldn't even remember the last thing I said to them.

When it was all over, silence swept across the town of Namimori. We, the survivors, were unsure whether the tsunami would come back for us, but when the wait had dragged on for long enough, people were beginning to return to the grounds. I then wondered why Dino had not uttered a word this entire time, and saw that he was hunched on the ground holding the left side of his abdomen. He was wearing a black jacket, so I couldn't tell if he was wounded or not. I shuffled near him.

"What's wrong?" I asked, moving the flap of his jacket away. I let out a horrified gasp. There was a fresh cut, gushing with blood. I remembered he had cried out during our venture on the lower level, he must have gotten it then. I panicked a little, not knowing what to do, and then I remembered in all the movies the first thing to do was to stop the bleeding with some kind of cloth. I guess this proved that films weren't always just about entertainment.

I took off my cardigan and ordered him to move his arms. He did as he was told, and I could see his face was drained of blood. I tied it around him, just above the waist, and tightened it as securely as I could. He bit his tongue uneasily as I did. Hearing the helicopters and sirens, I knew things were beginning to move fast and helped Dino up as gently as I could. He needed some patching up – fast.

"I feel so useless right now," he chuckled.

"Better now than when the chaos was going on, besides, you saved my life," I said almost begrudgingly. I never meant for it to come out like that, but to admit weakness in myself was never easy. I was stubborn and prideful, even at times like this.

He shook his head as I struggled to help him down the slippery stairs, "You saved mine first."

"Because you helped me before that, while I was crushed under my own bike."

"Anyone would do the same, I just happened to be there."

I raised an eyebrow, "Are we really bickering about who helped who first?"

He looked at me and laughed. I found myself laughing with him, and wondered how we could be so care free after everything that had happened. Maybe it better like this, so I would forget about the fact that all the people I knew and loved could be lying lifelessly under a heap of rubble or be a floating corpse in the middle of the ocean. I laughed harder, suppressing any tears that threatened to spill, and kept on laughing until I broke down and cried. I hadn't even noticed I was now kneeling on the floor outside the barely-standing motel with face in my hands wailing out loud. Dino had his arm around my shoulder, his reassuring warm arm, and I wondered how a person could be so kind to a selfish brat me. I was sure he was as devastated as I was, he too had loved ones in the city, but here I was savouring his every comfort. This was the first time I had cried in a very, very long time.


	3. Foreboding Preparations

Shoutouts: kawaiinekochan16, xNeve, Ms.K, dsfsadhlasdfj, Hime-derea18, akagami hime chan

Lately I've been so busy I feel like dropping out of uni and working for McDonalds full-time. LOL that's not going to happen.

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**Chapter 3: Foreboding Preparations **

I felt guilt. I know crying was part of being human, but I hated the thought of someone seeing my red, tear-stained face. It wasn't the only reason I felt so wasted – to think I had the audacity to take advantage of Dino's kindness and ask him to come with me while I checked up on my parents. In my defence, he could have refused and parted ways with me, relieving him of a burden.

I sighed, I knew I was making an excuse. I knew he wouldn't say no, and the truth was, I just wanted somebody to rely on if the worst case scenario happened. I wouldn't be able to handle it alone, seeing my home in shambles, and my parents buried under the rubble or swept out into the vast ocean, lost in a limbo.

Dino and I walked in silence with me leading and him following behind. With every step I took I felt an aching desire to apologise for all the trouble I'd given him but nothing would come out no matter how strongly I willed it. I was sure he was worried sick about his close ones as well, but with both our mobile phones soaked in sea water and all the phone lines out of service, the only way to find out if anyone was alive was on foot. I must come across as selfish and spoiled, and who's to say I wasn't. If it weren't for this disaster, I doubt Dino would even look at me twice.

When I noticed we had been walking for longer than I expected, it was then I realised I was utterly clueless as to which street this was. A majority of the houses had been destroyed, and obviously the street signs were gone. Something had to look even remotely familiar, but I couldn't make anything out. It was just destruction, destruction and more destruction. Was this even possible? That everything could be wiped away with just one wave of water.

"We're lost aren't we," Dino said from behind, "Everything looks the same."

I ignored him and continued to power walk through what was left of the suburbs. I found it ominously strange that no one was around, not a single survivor nor a corpse – just rubble.

"I don't understand, why aren't there people?" I muttered.

I heard Dino move something and turned around to see him prying away wooden boards and pieces of cement. He seemed to be fixated on something, but as I walked over to join, I spotted a row of standing houses behind a intact wall and changed directions. I turned into the street and stood gaping, every house was untouched and perfectly fine, but what amazed me even more was that it was **my **street.

"Dino!" I cried out to let him know where I was, then hurried to the eighth block where my pale-brick house stood. I eased the gate open and bolted to the front door. My keys were in my satchel and my satchel was lost god knows where so I knocked on the door furiously and waited for an answer. My knocks were met with an eerie silence, so I kept on knocking for two reasons – for the small hope that my parents would open the door and greet me with open arms, and to block out the unwanted silence. Somehow, my mentality was telling me that if I kept knocking, everything would be alright.

"Mum, Dad!" I called uneasily.

"Erika?"

I jumped as Dino popped up beside me. His hands were covered in some kind of black soot, he dusted it off by whacking his hands together. I had stopped knocking, and all of a sudden I began to panic.

"No one's home, w-what's going on?" I stuttered.

"Maybe they left to go look for you," he said.

I took a deep breath as I realised this was probably true. Besides, I was the one that went out closest to the tsunami while they must've been suffering multiple heart-attacks at the idea of their only daughter being swept away by the ocean.

Dino twisted the doorknob and surprisingly enough, it opened. He looked at me, waiting for some kind of explanation, but I couldn't find one. My parents and I were not the type of people to leave their doors unlocked, we were always paranoid about getting robbed or murdered despite the minimal crime rates in the suburbs. But in this case, I guess they could've been panicking so much as to forget.

I went in first, and felt an unwelcoming shiver pierce through me. It felt strangely cold as I stepped into the corridor; I didn't bother to take off my shoes.

"Hello?" I tried calling out, but there was no reply. I guess no one really was at home.

"I'll see if the TV is working," Dino said.

"It's to your right," I instructed, and he disappeared into the lounge, leaving me alone.

I was ashamed to say I felt secure with Dino around. If he weren't here who knows what I would be doing right now. Looking for other survivors I suppose, not having to courage to come here by myself. I started up the stairs and peeked into my parents room. The bed was made neatly and the closets looked untouched. It was as if no one had been using this bedroom for years. I then went into my own room and found it messy and unmade, as I had left it this morning. My acoustic guitar was perched in the corner, and my closet was open. I walked over to the window and peered through it, everything beyond my street was a crumpled mess. I guess by some sheer stroke of luck the tsunami had spared my neighbours and I.

I went over to my closet and took down a blue-black checkered flannel from a hanger, then pulled out a pair of skinny jeans from one of my drawers. I stripped off my grimy clothes and looked at myself in the mirror. I had bruises all along my right leg and one purpling on my hip. I turned around and winced at all the grazes along my back. I expect more on my face, but luckily it only suffered a small cut under my lip. I went inside the bathroom and gathered a few utilities, I checked the shower and found it to be useless, but the taps seemed to be working alright, though there was no hot water. I was not surprised, most of the pipes would've been ripped out of the ground. I started tending to my reachable wounds, wincing at the sting of the disinfectant. I would have to ask Dino to help me with my back, as embarrassing as it was, I'd rather that than risk getting an infection.

When I was done, I placed everything into a bag for Dino's use and changed into the clean clothes I prepared earlier with the addition of a dark jacket. I put on a pair of socks, then thought to take out my gym bag. I don't know why I did, it wasn't like I needed to move anywhere, but my hands were automatically packing survival necessities. I guess it didn't do any harm, what if there was a second earthquake or tsunami that hit unknowingly. I packed one extra set of clothes, the bag of utilities from the bathroom, a fairly light sleeping bag, a sewing kit and a photo of my family. I looked around for a solar torch my dad had once given me for camp and threw it in with the other things once I found it. I then went into my parents room and pulled out a backpack my dad sometimes used when travelling. I grabbed a few shirts, pants and socks from my dad's closet plus his sleeping bag and shoved them into the bag. I took a watch, a box of aspirin and some of my mother's jewellery. This should be enough, I still needed room for whatever I could find in the kitchen and storerooms.

I went downstairs with the two bags slung across my shoulders and joined Dino in the lounge. He was behind the television, apparently fixing something.

"What are you doing?" I asked, dropping the bags on the floor.

"Seeing if there's any power still useable," he replied.

"I doubt it, everything was destroyed, including the powerlines. Dino come over here, I found the first aid stuff."

He came out from behind the TV and sat on the floor in front of me, "Stuff? Don't you sound professional."

I blushed, and handed him my dad's backpack. "It might not fit you, but my dad's pretty big and you're quite tall so it might work out. Sorry if it's old school."

Dino chuckled, "Really, when did fashion matter post-natural disaster?"

"Isn't it good to have something to think about after all this…" I struggled to keep my emotional outburst in, "…craziness."

He smiled, taking his damp jacket off. I wondered how I would ask him to treat the wounds on my back without making a fool out of myself, even at a time like this, I was developing a little crush on him. Was it really fair to blame me? He was impeccably charming.

I untied the cardigan I had used to stop his wound from killing him. For something so simple, it did an incredibly good job, although it was safe to say I wasn't able to use that cardigan anymore. Shame, I really liked it. Dino groaned a little as he tried to take his shirt off, I had to help him for most of the part, and when it was finally off, I grimaced at the thought of having to clean the bloody mess that was on his torso. When I looked _really_ closely, the cut wasn't as bad as it first seemed (probably because of the blood) but it was still deep. For now the bleeding had stopped, but I was worried I might do something wrong and make it worse. Hopefully the process was what I thought it was…clean, sew and wrap. Although for Dino's sake I wasn't even going to attempt to stitch.

"Think you can handle it?" Dino said, rather amused with my paling face.

I frowned, and went to the kitchen to fill a small tub with water. All I could find was clean bath towel, I had no idea where my mum kept all the cleaning whatnots. It was better than nothing I suppose, so I set everything down and dampened a section of the towel and began cleaning off the blood and muck as gently as I could. I felt my face redden. Dino was very toned, no wonder he could lift me so easily. I shook my head in annoyance, now was not the time to be drooling. He was too busy looking through my dad's clothes with one hand as I worked. When I got to the really ugly bits, he began to flinch every once in a while, but I was still impressed by his tolerance. If it were me I would be moaning like a wuss. I dabbed a bit of antiseptic ointment on the cut, and began to awkwardly wrap the dressing around his abdomen. When I was done, I examined my crooked job, but as long as it was holding I guess it didn't matter. It would do until he got professional help. I left Dino to change in whatever clothes he had picked out, and went to the kitchen to tip out the red stained, murky water. I dropped the towel in the bin, there was no way it was reusable. I now didn't want Dino to help tend to my grazed back, just the thought of exposing my bare skin was turning my ears red. It probably wasn't all that bad anyway.

It was a good thing the fridge had not lost power for too long so some of the perishable foods like the eggs and some of the meat were still edible. I tested out the stove, the gas was still working, so I took out a frying pan and whipped up a simple meal for the two of us with four eggs and all the meat available. Might as well use it all before it went off, plus we could at least keep the cooked meat for a while and maybe distribute it to the other survivors.

Dino emerged in a black dress shirt and jeans a little too big for him, but the baggy look somewhat suited him. He'd probably looked good in anything.

"They kind of fit," he said, folding his sleeves up.

I turned the stove off and brought two plates of food to the table. Seeing him cling onto my dad's jeans for dear life made me laugh privately to myself. "I'll get you a belt, hold on. Go ahead and eat first, it might taste gross though, I can't cook."

He shrugged, "Neither can I," and here I was, half-expecting him to be good at everything. I guess I was expecting too much, but he could be one of those people that _thought _they were bad at something but were actually really pro at it.

I hurried up the stairs and took the first belt I saw – plain black, that would do. I came back to the kitchen and saw Dino staring blankly at his food with a fork in one hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked, "You can't eat Japanese food? It's just egg rolls and cooked meat."

His eyes flickered at me as he snapped out of his trance. "Huh? No I was just…lost in thought."

I handed him the belt and he got up to adjust it around the oversized jeans. I saw a hint of skin..just a hint…what was I thinking? Now was not the time!

He sat back down and scoffed his food down, I took my seat and joined him. I was famished, but recovering from everything that had happened , and who knew what was on Dino's mind? We said little as we ate, and there was some food left over that we could keep for as long as it took for the rescue teams and so on to swarm the city. I wanted to reunite with my parents as fast as I could, I tried not to think about what had become of the few close friends I had. The bleak images of the tsunami were tracing their way into my mind again, I pushed them back to the inner depths of my consciousness.

Dino suddenly got to his feet, knocking his chair back. His fists were clenched onto the table and he looked at me rather intently. My heart was thumping. "I'm sorry, I really can't sit here and wait for help afterall, I need to find my friends."

I calmed down. For a second there I thought he was going to yell at me for having dragged him all the way here and blame me for all that's happened. I rose out of my own chair and nodded to him. "I'll come with you, you've helped me more than enough."

He smiled kindly. I liked his smile, it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. "It's alright, I'm fine by myself. Besides, what if your parents come back?"

"I'll leave them a note on the door and on the table."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we'd best bring some supplies in case we find other survivors," I said, and opened a cupboard to find sandwich bags and containers we could use. I brought as much as I could, making sure to leave more than enough for my parents once they came back, and possibly for Dino and his friends if they needed a place to stay until everything blew over. I was sure they'd rather stay with us than coop up with the other survivors in a refuge. I put all the food in my dad's backpack and split the water bottles between the two bags. I found a crowbar in the storage where all the manly tools were kept and tucked that one in my gym bag since it was long. Dino was holding a pocket knife that he'd found and asked if he could borrow it. I nodded, and he slid it into the pocket of his jeans.

I carried the gym bag while he swung the backpack over his shoulders. Of course, he offered to take them both but there was no way I was allowing that. I left a note on the table, took the spare key to my house and locked the door as we left. There was no telling what people would do now that the normal rules of society didn't apply, I liked to think compassion and unity was the outcome.

"Are we ready?" Dino asked and I nodded, sticking a signed note on the door for my parents. The sun was beginning to set, hopefully rescue teams and world aid would have set up refuges for people around the area by now. We could possibly find his friends there if not wherever they lived. "Do you know the way from your house to Namimori medical centre?"

"And you wanted to go off by yourself, see what would've happened without me? You would've been a lost little lamb."

"Heh. So how long would it take?"

"An hour or two by foot, but it shouldn't be too far if we walk fast enough. We could get there before dark," I replied. "Most likely that area has a good concentration of survivors."

Dino chuckled in a very worn-out manner. I hoped he wasn't going to lose his composure anytime soon, because I wouldn't know what to do then.


	4. Thing

**Chapter 4: Thing**

There was blood on the floor, but it wasn't my blood.

…

…..

…..

Dino and I were tired from walking an extra two miles longer than we should have. A lot of the roads were filled with rubble, and emergency services had blocked much of the area. The sky was almost pitch black thanks to the lack of electricity and working lamps, the moon was the only light source we could rely on. Even so, most of the time we were feeling our way through hoping we wouldn't trip on something – or someone. And because it was now impossible for us to walk the rest of the way to find Dino's friends, we were trekking to the nearest safe haven where all the homeless survivors would be gathered.

"Can you see it?" I asked, squinting my eyes.

"It's right there," Dino replied, taking my arm and leading me towards multiple specks of light.

When we were close enough, I saw the tents and emergency vehicles parked in a crooked line, and was relieved to see healthy people walking about. I brushed Dino away and started jogging to the medical tents where sullen mourning could be heard from even a distance. I pried open one of the flaps and entered the mass grave. It was then I wished even the lights here were gone, so then I wouldn't have turned around and gagged this afternoon's food halfway up my oesophagus.

"Hey, not in here!" a paramedic barked at me.

I forced whatever was coming up back down. I took a deep breath and took in the scene like it had come straight from a movie. Sea lions – I thought. Dead and roasted along the beach without a flinch from a flipper. But really it was mangled, pale and bloodied humans, some alive and some dead, lying across the floor on bed sheets and stretchers. I saw flesh. I saw organs. I saw bone. I was standing in a live apocalyptic film, like 2012, except the real thing was much, much worse. My face went pale, it was taking all my willpower to not throw up.

I heard a hoarse mutter, "Just kill me, I can't stand this anymore…" it made me sick again.

Dino appeared behind me. I knew it was him because of the gentleness in his movements, as he pushed the flaps aside and strode in. I heard him gasp, then put a hand on my shoulder.

"I think it's best if you don't look, they've set up another tent for survivors to stay, let's go."

"What if somebody I know is here."

"Rest first, talk tomorrow. You've been through a lot." As he led me out, I all of a sudden felt less disturbed by what I had seen. Maybe I was starting to lose the sense of shock I had during the tsunami and was beginning to grow weary of it all. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Inside the shelter, there was close to a hundred locals lying on the ground. I saw some familiar faces in the dim light, friends of the family and students from my university. None that I was really close to, but it felt relieving to know part of my life was still around. Anyone familiar would do, I just wanted proof that my life wasn't just a dream. I approached a classmate from my English class, a girl with ginger cat hair and bright hazel eyes, she was sitting beside a boy with silver hair that I might have seen hanging around once or twice. Her name was Sasagawa Kyoko, I always sat two aisles behind her. If it mattered, I had talked to her several times on campus, and we were put in the same group for presentation once. She looked up as I approached and her eyes lit up, I guess she recognised me.

"Oh, Nakagawa-san!" Kyoko jumped to her feet and threw her arms around me. I went rigid. It took a moment for me to move my arms and awkwardly return the hug. It was funny how a disaster could bring people together.

"Someone else familiar, I'm so glad!" she cried, holding my hands. I smiled, looking passed her at the silver-haired guy.

Noticing my curious eye, Kyoko stepped back to introduce him, "This is Gokudera, he's a good friend of mine."

"Hey," I said.

He nodded in response and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket on his shirt, "Shit, I need a smoke."

"Not in here!" Kyoko scolded. He glared at her, but put it away obediently. Kyoko turned her bright eyes to me and squeezed my right shoulder, "Have you been alone all this time?"

I shook my head, "Met someone during the…ruckus. We've been together the whole time."

"That's good."

"What's your story?" I asked.

"We were supposed to meet up with some friends. I was on my way when it happened, and Gokudera happened to be walking the same way…" Kyoko looked agitated. She hugged her arms for comfort. "My house is gone."

I felt my stomach curdle unpleasantly, "Was anyone…home?"

"Parents," she replied, biting her lip. Gokudera had come over and place an arm over her shoulder, he looked uncomfortable doing so, but I guess they must be good friends, lovers maybe? No, he didn't look at her that way.

"Shit I'm sorry," I wasn't sure what else to say. I Imagined myself walking home, only to see my house gone. I was glad when it happened to me, my house was still in one piece.

Kyoko wiped away stray tears, it seemed she had already cried enough during the day. "It's alright, I'm not the only one. Besides, my brother could still be alive, and my friends, life can be patched together again as long as there are people out there. I'm really glad you made it Nakagawa-san."

Please, don't be. I'm not in your circle of loved ones and it pains me to see you like this. In class, and around campus, I always knew her as a very smiley person. "I should go call my…" I wasn't sure what to call Dino, we had only known each other for barely a day.

"Oh yes, sorry for holding you up!" Kyoko said.

I faintly smiled again and left her to Gokudera's comfort. I lifted the flap of the tent. The air was cold, it sent shivers rippling down my spine. Goosebumps emerged on my arms and I rubbed them rigorously to bring back the heat. I saw Dino standing outside with a cigarette in his mouth. His hair fluttering against the wind as he blew out a ring of smoke. Within the night, it was as if an ethereal being was standing under the moonlight, breathing fire. I came up beside him and took in a deep breath of the cool air, my lungs expanding as I did. I could smell remnants of tobacco from his exhale of smoke, and I felt my mind calm down, almost ecstatically.

"Hey," I said, looking at him, "Didn't know you smoked."

He took the cigarette away from his mouth and blew out another trail of smoke, "I quit when I was eighteen."

"Doesn't look like it."

I noticed a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. "Someone offered it to me, and I thought – why not? I just survived an earthquake and tsunami, watched hundreds of people die before me, one smoke wouldn't hurt."

I didn't say anything.

"Want it?" he asked, offering it to me.

"Sure," I replied monotonously, taking it between my fingers.

"I didn't know _you _smoked?" he asked, mimicking my previous tone.

"I don't," I said before taking a puff. It felt like my lungs were burning, and without even taking a full inhale I started coughing and dropped the damned thing on the floor. It left me feeling light headed and dizzy, how did people even get started on those things?

Dino began to laugh, the sound echoing through the night. I lightly nudged him and frowned, "That stuff is rank!"

"Believe me, I won't be doing it again, " he said with an expression that told he was obviously entertained by my first-time experience, "and neither should you. I don't want to be responsible for anything."

"You seem to have forgotten I'm twenty-one and you're twenty-two, not twelve and thirty."

He draped an arm across my shoulder and sighed. I immediately went stiff, and felt a surge of blood rise to my cheeks. He'd caught me off guard, and I wasn't used to this.

"Sorry, I'm just exhausted," Dino said, partially leaning his weight onto me. I tried my best to act as casually as I could.

"It's alright, and hey I forgot to tell you, I met a couple of people I know inside."

Dino looked genuinely happy for me, "That's great!"

Sometimes I wish he wasn't so sweet. It made it hard for a cold person like myself to even respond. "Yeah, I'm not that familiar with them though."

"Better than nothing," he reassured, then took his arm off me. I could still feel the warmth of his body lingering on my shoulder, I tried to lock the sensation into my mind – oh, what was I even doing? I should be thinking about finding my parents. "Well then I guess this is where we part," Dino said abruptly.

"What?" I replied, a little too fast.

"Well, you'll be wanting to stick with your friends now that you've found some of them. I've got to be on my way tomorrow to find my own people, I won't drag you along."

Words of objection were almost tumbling out of my mouth, I couldn't fathom why he'd think I'd rather stay with two people I knew only slightly better than him than accompany him to find his friends – especially after all he'd done for me. I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and shook my head, "No, I'll go with you. They're acquaintances not friends, besides, I still owe you for coming with me to my house. You don't even know the rest of the way."

"That is true," Dino said.

I almost sighed with relief, but closed my mouth before I could. It had become obvious to me that I'd grown attached to Dino, obviously not to an extent with romantic connotations, but I'd feel…strange if he left. Like I owed him too much before that could happen.

"We'll leave first thing tomorrow, but first we need to rest. You look half asleep."

"I am half asleep," he chuckled.

"Come on," I said, pulling him along and pushing through the tent flaps. I spotted Kyoko and Gokudera sleeping in a far corner, a lot of the survivors – even the ones that were mourning not long ago – had fallen into a deep sleep. Fatigue was a wonderful way of forgetting everything. I used it quite often whenever I felt a need to cry or scream in frustration, I would lie on my bed and wait for my eyes to close, wait for reality to be replaced by a fragmented dream I wouldn't remember. It always worked, because sleep was like a state of nothingness, it could take away all or most of your worries.

A lady handed me a twin set of blankets and pillows, and I passed one of them to Dino. I found a spot beside a family with two children, and lay my things on the ground. Dino took his jacket off and did the same. I found myself staring at a collection of joint tattoos on his left arm, and followed the pattern up to his neck. Blue flames, foreign words, barbed wire and a stallion was all I could make out. They were beautiful, I thought, beautiful like him. His eyes flickered to me and I quickly looked away, pretending to pat my pillow. I wondered if he noticed, he probably did, but he made no attempt show it. Dino collapsed like he hadn't slept for days and turned his back to me, pulling his blanket over his shoulder.

"Night," he muttered.

"Night," I replied, slipping myself under the covers. Though we slept beside each other, there was a comfortable gap between us, as if to clearly say we were no more than strangers, but we weren't, we couldn't be after everything that had gone on. I guess we were closer to friends than acquaintances, but not quite there yet. I turned my back to him and stared at the little boy beside me. His breathing slow and steady, probably lost in a fantastical dream that I could never be part of. I willed myself to sleep, it was easy with my current state of exhaustion, and the last thing I saw was the sleeping face of the little boy.

I dreamed. I dreamed of a normal day where I sat in my English lecture. Kyoko was three seats in front of me, as usual, and I was zoning out. Everything was fine, there was no earthquake, there was no tsunami, and there was no dying children. I felt relieved, because everything that I knew was still here, the people around me were still alive. I found my phone in my pocket and peeked at it, the time was 2:20, it was early afternoon, and the date was the 12th of September, weeks after my mid semester break.

Then I saw him walk in, with his sandy blond hair and brown eyes, his black shirt torn at the ends, his face smeared with bits of dirt. He was yelling something, but I couldn't hear him. I got out of my seat and cried out his name, but I was mute. He started up the aisle and grabbed my arm, he looked at me urgently, as if something had gone horribly wrong. He was trying to tell me something, but nothing was coming out. The students around me didn't seem to notice his and my presence, and then I saw it, creeping from the exit at the far right. A creature on fours, hairless with skin like a newborn rat, eyes blacker than darkness and mangy fingers of a toad. It's claws scraped against the floor making a screeching sound like fingernails against a chalkboard. It's abnormally long, wet tongue oozing with saliva as it moved like an arachnid. It saw me, and bared it's toothless, red gums at me. I screamed.

I was still screaming when I awoke, but I wasn't the only one screaming. I caught a glimpse of the young boy beside me before I felt a large hand cover my eyes. It became darkness all of a sudden, but I could feel there was something wrong. Someone pulled me against his chest and whispered into my ear, "Don't move, don't make a sound." It was Dino.

I clutched onto his arm for reassurance. I heard another scream, but this time so ear-splitting I felt chills. Dino was shaking, I could almost feel his fear seeping into me. He gulped.

_Grr._

I froze. Something was growling, and it wasn't a dog. It was too low, too hollow, not animalistic enough, like it was a monster. What was going on?

"Dino, take your hand away," I demanded.

"No," he said.

"Do it, or I'll scream and draw its attention."

"Erika, be quiet!" he hissed.

"Let me see!" I snapped, pulling his hand away. And he was right to cover my eyes, because about a metre in front of me was the creature I had seen in my dreams, with its back hunched forward and the premature guts of the little boy that slept beside me dangling between its alien fingers.

There was blood on the floor, but it wasn't my blood.


	5. Blood

**Chapter 5: Blood**

I was breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling with every quick breath. I saw its neck crane right and left followed by the crunch of a million crickets. Its mouth enclosed over the raw intestines oozing with blood, and it began gnawing. There were people cowering in the corners, no one dared to move. I tried to find Kyoko and Gokudera but they must have escaped already.

Someone darted towards the exit. Then a scream. It all happened so fast. The creature had the helpless man by the neck. It tore his torso in half and roared a chilling, hollow sound, like it was warning everybody to stay where they were. I saw the dangling bits of muscle and a river of blood pouring from the decimated body. The man's lips had formed a terrified O before his death, and the feeling of calmness I thought I was developing has disappeared all at once. I would never _ever_ get used to seeing a corpse.

Dino hadn't stopped shaking, and with my back pressed against his chest I could feel his heart beating like it was forcing its way out. I placed a hand on his shaking leg, and he seemed to relax just a little. Then I saw my bag propped beside me, and remembered the knife I'd brought along. It was too risky for me to turn around and look for it, so I nudged Dino in the ribs. That seemed to get his attention.

I whispered almost inaudibly, "Can you hear me?"

He squeezed my arm, and so I took a breath and gave him careful instructions, "There is a knife in my bag, take it out as slowly as you can."

I felt his hand move from my arm and slip into my bag. I turned my attention back to the creature, it was now sucking on a chunk of flesh – a heart? Then I heard Dino puncture a hole through the tent and slowly begin to cut an opening.

"Faster," I urged, seeing the creature drop the body and scan its surroundings. It sniffed as if it had noticed something. A woman about two metres beside us starting screeching, and my heart came to a stop. The creature crawled on fours towards the woman, and began to ravage her like she was nothing but a ragged doll. Blood splattered across my face, and I felt it sink into my hair. I peered down at my hands and saw flesh, then an eyeball lolled beneath my feet, the nerves still attached. I froze.

The creature rubbed its face against the open stomach of the woman, sniffing for more. I felt numb. I was still staring at the mess on my hands. Then I heard Dino yell, "GO!" as he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the opening he had cut. I saw it charge towards us as my feet left the inside, and its claw reaching out for me. And then I heard more screams. The creature retracted its arm hesitantly, not sure whether to chase us or kill the others. I guess numbers weighed even for a monster, but I didn't believe it had a mind, not that _thing_.

"Run Erika what are you waiting for?!" Dino barked. I took one last glance and saw a shadow of blood splatter across the tent walls. The lights went out, so I turned and made a run for it. Dino had our bags slung across his back as we ran, I wondered how he managed to grab them.

It was still dark, but from the shade of light in the sky I could tell it was almost sunrise. There were people screaming in the other tents as well. Did that mean there was more of those monsters? Dino gestured for me to stop, I almost ran into him. He lifted a finger to his lips and pointed towards the direction where all the emergency vehicles were parked. I shuddered. I was right, there were more of those things lurking around the area, which made it impossible for us to run any further without them noticing. Dino pointed at the red and white salvation army van that was parked furthest from the settlement. The front doors were wide open, as if someone tried to get in and escape but was dragged out before he or she could.

"Can you drive?" he asked.

"My parents taught me but I got a motorcycle license instead…well you know that already."

"That's good enough. Listen, I need you to get inside the van while I distract those things."

"With what? Your face?" I said a little too loudly.

"Shh," he scowled at me, "I have a hunch they're blind."

"What makes you think that?"

He sighed, "From my observations, these things only responds to sound. Didn't you see the way it acted back there? Only when someone moved or screamed then it would attack them."

"I was too busy shitting my pants to notice," I hissed with leaking sarcasm.

"Erika, concentrate. Just get inside the van while they're distracted, then come and get me."

"And what if I don't get there on time? Do you expect me to just sit in the van and watch you get ripped to shreds?"

Dino took my face in between his hands and made me look at him, "Trust me." He smiled.

Don't give me that look. I can't say no if you give me that look. I pushed him away, "Oh I trust you, I trust the guy I've known for a day and a night."

"Great, I trust you too, which makes us friends," he said, lifting me to my feet, "Once you've gotten the car started, I'll trust you to save me."

"Ugh," I wasn't sure about this. Well at least now it was official, we were friends.

"When I tell you to run…run." I bit my lip, and nodded. Dino got straight to it, he walked out into the open and started yelling, "HEY!"

I saw the creatures, one by one turn their heads. Scanning their surroundings, locating the source of the noise. All of a sudden I panicked, and the image of a hundred of these things attacking Dino all at once flashed across my mind. My right knee began to wobble, so I grabbed onto it to stop myself.

"Run Erika, NOW!"

I bolted across the street, passing Dino on the way. I refused to turn around and look at him. I was halfway there when I heard a dozen growls erupt all around me.

"Don't stop, keep running!" Dino reassured, and I knew he was watching over me all while risking his own life. I heard a few more shouts, then a loud bang. What was he doing?

I reached the van and jumped into the front seat, slamming the door shut. I looked at the ignition, and my heart sank . No keys – why didn't Dino think of such an obvious flaw in his plan? I looked out the window, he had just made a dive behind a car while six creatures scurried around, looking for him. "Fuck this shit!" I cursed. My only hope was hotwiring, and dad had only taught me once a long, long, _long_ time ago. I dug around frantically for a tool box, or some kind of screwdriver-like tool. Bingo, there was a screwdriver and a pair of pliers tucked inside the side pocket of the door. I snatched it out and ducked under the wheel and began taking out the screws as fast as I could. The bottom case fumbled into my hands and I chucked it aside. Power wires …which were the power wires again? Red, brown…found it! I pulled the red wires out and stripped them with pliers. Now what? Was I supposed to twist the ends together? I tried that and the lights and radio turned on. That was useless. My hands were now shaking. Dad did say something about a brown wire, and there was only one, so I cut it and stripped the end. I guess the only thing I could do was touch the wires together. I saw a spark and the engine _attempt _to come to life. I peeked outside again and saw that the creatures were moving closer to where Dino was.

"Fuck me, why the fuck is this happening to me, oh sweet Jesus," With quivering hands, I tried to touch the brown and red wires together again. Another spark lit, and this time the engine roared with life. "FUCK YES!" I cried and pulled the shift into drive and pushed the break lever down. I stepped on the pedal, and drove into the mob of creatures. It had been a while since I last drove a car, so a van was completely alien to me. The creatures immediately shifted their attention to me as I swerved to a halt right in the middle of them. "Dino get in already!" He leapt from behind the car and dove inside the front passenger seat, slamming the door shut. One of the creatures had rammed face first into the window, leaving a dangerously large crack.

"DRIVE!" Dino cried, and I slammed my foot onto the accelerator, but the van wouldn't budge. Something was jamming the wheels, and I could bet my life that it was one of those _things. _I tried again and again, and nothing happened. The creatures were throwing themselves onto the van, and I let out a startled cry as one of them charged into the front window, roaring at us. It clawed at the window, and I knew if this went on any longer, they would get to us.

"Dino…?" I almost whimpered.

"Hold on, I'm thinking!" he snapped, but I could see him clutching the end of his seat. We were going to die weren't we? And in the most gruesome way ever. No, there was too much I hadn't done. I still needed to finish university, find a job, fall in love…it couldn't end here, trapped in a van beside a guy I'd known for a day and surrounded by more than a dozen disgusting _things_. I slammed my fist against the wheel, it let out a honk.

"No, I can't," I muttered, "not here."

Dino wasn't convinced, "There's got to be a way…"

"I don't want to fucking die!" I yelled, and it only made the creatures more restless.

Smash. I felt the glass shatter. Shards flew across my cheeks, opening new wounds. I screamed as a creature's head popped through the broken window. It roared into my face, and I almost fainted at the smell of its breath – like something died in there. Dino threw a fist at its head, and it flew out of the van. The windshield broke into a million pieces. The last thing I saw was an arm swinging towards me, and all was black.

…

…

….

I was walking through a dark abyss. Beneath my feet were grey stairs, ahead of me was endless black. The lights on the side would flicker on with every step I took. I kept on going and going, like the end was near, but no matter how long I walked the passage would never end. There was a part of me that knew it led to nowhere, but another part said otherwise. I kept on moving forward, like I didn't need a reason to, and then I saw light.

…

…

….

It was blurry at first, but soon I could make out the shapes around me. I was still in the van, covered in glass and blood. The sun was shining on my side and it was burning me raw. I craned my head to the front passenger seat – It was empty, and the door was wide open.

"Dino?" I croaked. The cuts on my body and shards stuck in my skin were stinging badly. I tried to move but felt too physically and mentally exhausted. If I didn't get out soon I'd fry under the sun. I mustered all the remaining strength I had and pried open the door. I held onto the wheel for support, but slipped at the last moment and toppled onto the road, rolling on my side. Pieces of glass bounced all around me as I landed with a grunt. That would leave a scrape, I didn't even want to know what I looked like right now. Blood with pieces of flesh, cuts and bruises and shards stuck in my flesh.

After a moment of panting and deep breaths. I got to my feet, holding onto the van for support, and achingly trudged around to the other side. Every step felt like gravity was sitting on my shoulders, and I was dehydrated beyond saving. Fuck the sun at times like this, and where on earth did those creatures go? I was THIS close to convincing myself I was dreaming, or at least in some kind of horror movie, or maybe in hell. But then I saw him lying on the ground, drowning in a pool of fresh crimson blood. I ran to his side and almost fell on top of him.

"O God…Dino! Hey can you hear me? Dino!" I yelled, patting the sides of his face. He didn't budge, but when I pressed my ear against his chest I could hear his shallow breathing. I pulled up his shirt and felt the blood drain from my face. The cut I had wrapped up and was _supposed _to be healing was now twice as large as before and much, much deeper. In addition to that, I swear it was getting an infection, but how was that even possible, I hadn't been knocked out for more than an hour! The sun's position indicated early morning, just after sunrise, and if I wasn't fucked in the head then I distinctly remembered being attacked shortly before sunrise.

Dino was dying, now wasn't the time to be making up theories. "Somebody help!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, but all that came out with a hoarse sound. Where were the others? We couldn't be the only two survivors? I tried calling out again, and at most I heard a magpie caw from above. I got to my feet and stuck my body into the van again, my bag and Dino's were lodged under the seat. He must've held onto them the entire time. I took out the first aid kit and took out a roll of bandage.

"No, this isn't going to be enough…" He needed stitches, and I had a sewing kit, but I'd never done something like that before! What if I made things worse?

Suddenly I heard the sound of tires screeching against the pavement. A car was approaching, I jerked around and saw a black van pull up beside us. Kyoko and Gokudera got out, and I felt like collapsing right on the spot. I was so relieved, so relieved I could cry.

"Sasagawa-san...Sasagawa-san please help my friend!" I cried.

Before Kyoko could say anything, a man with dark hair and an unshaven stubble, dressed in a paramedic uniform hopped out of the driver's seat. When he saw Dino lying in his own blood, his eyes widened, and he chucked the cigarette that was in his mouth to the ground.

"Get him in the van, _now."_


	6. Handguns

I'm under the impression this whole zombie apocalypse thing was a bit unexpected LOL, but relax it's all part of the show. I've pretty much planned most of the plot so the unexpected doesn't end there. Yes it's true, if you look at my fanfics there all packed with romance, drama and humour, but I've always wanted to try writing a fanfic like this so please do bear with me, and hopefully I can please you all with the results :)

If you're looking for more of my usual genre "The Pursuit of Perfection" is probably the closest you'll get. I'll be updating that once I find some kind of inspiration because right now I'm all writer's block on that.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Handguns**

I used to think I could never be happy, and that fate was something I couldn't fight against. That I was destined to live one way and never the other. From what I knew, I would always be a hard and untrusting. Even my parents would wonder what was on my mind. But was it my fault I was scared? The more people I trusted the easier it was for me to get hurt. The more people I loved the greater the chances of losing someone. I knew. I knew it was the reason I'd sit on that bench and nobody would approach me. I didn't look pleasant, and I wasn't pleasant. Call it pessimism or low self-esteem, call it running away from your fears, but it was because I knew closest to my heart what humanity was capable of. I was selfish and believed selflessness was temporary. I guess I was a confused child, torn between desiring and avoiding trust.

"I said I trust you," Dino said, smiling at me.

"You're an idiot for trusting a girl that you've known for one day—"

"Four days now, actually."

"Three of those days don't count, we were both knocked out for twenty four hours straight on the first one, and _you _only woke up at the end of day four…and that's beside the point, what if I didn't know how to hotwire? I'd just be sitting there watching you turn into raw steak!"

"That's why I said, I trust you."

This conversation was going nowhere. Dino was as stubborn as a mule, well actually maybe I was the stubborn mule, but he was the brainless idiot that put me in a heart pounding situation. I was still lecturing him about the whole no-car-keys incident because it seriously drove me nuts knowing if I didn't guess-work and hotwire the van it would've been _my _fault he died, and how could I live with that?

Dino patted my shoulder, like I was a child in need of praise, "We made it through, and that's all that matters. From the moment you pulled me onto your bike and saved my life, Erika, I knew you were a survivor."

"Like hell—"

"Will you two shut up back there? I can't concentrate!" Shamal scolded.

We were on the main road, taking our sixth detour since the day our shelter was invaded by nightwalkers. _We_ meaning , Hayato Gokudera, Kyoko Sasagawa, Dino and I. _Nightwalkers _meaning those crazy monstrous creatures that looked like they just popped out of a horror video game. Gokudera came up with the name on the basis that those things only came out during the night and disappeared at were literally vampiric-like, except they fed on flesh rather than blood, and thus why I found them more like those horrible, creepy Licker's from Resident Evil. Except they were the real thing, and much, much worse.

Dino and I were saved by the sun, and it turned out being stuck in the salvation army van and unconscious for an entire day had saved our lives. These nightwalkers were (as Dino predicted) sound-reliant, with a slight sense of smell maybe a little less than the average human. Dino awoke in the morning and tried to get us out before we perished from dehydration and wound infections but ended up falling to the ground and knocking himself out. That's when I came in and panicked before being saved by Shamal, Gokudera and Kyoko.

Together, with Dino unconscious, we travelled by day and hid by night, making our way to the nearest medical centre where we hoped to find help. Also, Kyoko and Gokudera were searching for friends that lived nearby there, coincidentally that was where Dino and I were headed so this group was really working out. He woke up two days later, which was where we were at now. I had debriefed him only a short while ago, and he was looking much better thanks to Shamal's miracle hands. It turns out he needed stitches back when the flood debris had torn into his flesh, and because of my inexperience I had failed to diagnose it properly. Either way, he was good and fine now which was all that mattered. He also ate all that was left of our food stock, water included. So we were desperate for help.

"Tch, the world's gone mad. First an earthquake hits Namimori for the first time in a hundred and three years, the town is half consumed by a tsunami, then strange killer monsters pop out of nowhere and terrorise half the area…" Shamal was shaking his head, a cigarette poking from his mouth, "What the hell is going on?"

It was a question that the whole of Namimori had been asking for the past four days. I tried not to think about my parents the entire time, but every now and then images of the tsunami and mass murder would render me shaking with worry. I wondered if they were still alive. I shuddered.

"Erika, you okay?" Dino asked, seeing my expression.

"Worry about yourself," I snapped, though not intentional. I could see Kyoko looking at me from the corner of my eye. Thank god Gokudera was fast asleep in the front seat, he had been the most cynical person these past few days it was driving me crazy. I sighed, "Sorry."

"It's cool," he smiled, then turned his attention to Kyoko, leaving me to drown in my depression. "Your friends, is one of them Tsunayoshi Sawada?"

Kyoko looked surprised, "Yes! How did you know?"

"A general question, since you were headed the same way as me. He's a friend of mine as well."

"Well isn't that a coincidence!" Kyoko's face lit up, "Gokudera wake—"

"I heard you!" Gokudera snapped, "who can sleep with all that noise?" he grumbled.

It was quite the change in atmosphere, and so suddenly too. Soon Dino and Kyoko were discussing the people they knew which had extended from one individual to another. What a small world this was, that I was already faintly connected to Dino. Even if only faintly.

I pressed my fingers against the window beside me and stared out at the empty streets. Bored of listening to their conversation (that I wasn't even part of), I wondered if anything would be right again, if my old life would ever be possible, and did I want it? Houses, buildings and broken displays passed by, and I felt my eyes fighting to shut. I took my hand away and rested my head against the glass. I fell asleep to the sound of the engine, and heard Dino's light-hearted laugh echo inside my head.

…

...

...

I was in the dark abyss again, walking down the endless grey stairs. There was no sign of myself stopping, but I still wasn't completely set on continuing, it was more out of curiosity and reflex. As I continued on, the grey walls that pass me began to paint a picture. Crayon drawings of a blue house and purple girl, her mother and father. I recognised them, they were my drawings from when I was a child. They seemed to move with me as I walked, a different life event with every picture, my family and I at the beach, at home, in the car, even mundane things like sitting in the lounge and watching television. I stopped at one picture, overflowing with red and black crayon. I froze in horror when I realised what was drawn, an ocean of blood that seemed to move as if it were alive. Two people were floating in the centre with their heads down.

...

...

...

The door slid open and I almost fell out if it hadn't been for Dino and his arms. I was getting quite used to them saving me. I caught my balance and stood up straight, examining my surroundings. We were at the medical centre, and there was no one in sight. There was a peculiar smell in the air, like rusty metal.

"Hell it's like a ghost town in broad daylight," Shamal muttered, spitting his cigarette to the ground and trampling it with the toe of his shoe.

Gokudera was the first one to approach the front entrance of the medical centre. I half expected Kyoko to be stopping him, but when I turned around she was too busy talking to Dino. Really? Was now really the best time? I let out a disgusted noise under my breath and followed Gokudera. He was surprised to see me of all people, gutsy enough to follow.

"What are you…"

"Your girlfriend is busy right now," I said, holding back the irritation in my voice.

Gokudera suddenly looked offended, "GIRLFRIEND? Where the hell did you get that idea? Ugh."

"Oh, I just assumed, since you two seemed quite close."

"Please lady, we're just long-time friends, besides…" he blushed, and quickly turned away from me, "Ugh just shut your trap."

That was rude. I frowned.

"Hey you two, you're gonna need these," Shamal said, holding up two handguns. I stiffened at the sight of them, but part of me felt a rush of excitement. Shamal threw them toward Gokudera, and I yelped.

Gokudera caught them with ease, and looked at me in surprise, "Relax, they've got safeties."

"Oh."

"Don't think you should be letting her handle a gun," Dino chuckled, approaching us.

"Have you ever used one?" Gokudera asked, cocking an eyebrow. There was an obvious dislike in his tone, whether or not he had a reason to beef with Dino, it was probably a no.

"Not too hard to get one where I come from," Dino said smugly, "You?"

"Father's a cop," Gokudera replied with a mix of impatience and irritation. He handed it to Dino and said nothing else.

Shamal pointed his thumb at the van behind him, "Well I'll stay out here and look after the van with the ladies—"

I immediately objected, "I'm going too."

They all looked at me.

"What? I don't like the idea of waiting while the men do all the adventurous work."

"What are you, a feminist?" Shamal snorted.

"Dangerous work, Erika," Dino frowned.

"I think hotwiring a van and driving it into a hoard of zombies to save your rear end is much more dangerous," I snapped, "and I forgot to mention speeding down a crowded road while being chased by a tsunami and escaping a man-eating monster. I don't think it gets any more dangerous than that."

"Nightwalkers," Gokudera corrected.

Dino sighed. I wasn't sure why I was suddenly so snappy towards him, he was only worried about me – a borderline friend. "Do you have another gun?" he asked Shamal.

"A few more, I snitched them from the dead cops," Shamal replied, hiding a smirk as he reached inside the back of the van for one.

I gave Dino a triumphant look as Shamal handed me a real, working handgun. I stroked it.

"Erika do you even know how to use it?" Dino asked.

"Dino stop patronising me," I replied irately, and just to annoy him I barged through the double doors before any of them and pointed my gun at nothing in particular. I just had to follow the movies didn't I? Slither around like I knew what I was doing, and point my gun at anything that looked suspicious. Dino came in after me, apparently annoyed at my recklessness, and Gokudera followed shortly after with a slightly amused look on his face. "Be careful in there," I heard Kyoko say before the doors shut on her.

"You amaze me," Dino sighed.

"Thank you," I said.

The three of us spread out and started probing the place. It was empty, save the chairs and reception, but other than the inanimate there were no signs of life. I couldn't understand how I had not seen a single soul since leaving the shelter, it was like every human being just disappeared. Most importantly, why wasn't the government sending military organisations over, it'd been four days already. Surely the nightwalkers were a big enough threat to mankind for some serious official shit to be happening.

"Yo ANYBODY?" Gokudera called out. There was no response. "HELLO? We're survivors, not monsters!" Silence was becoming man's best friend.

I started fiddling with my handgun, mesmerised by its sturdiness. So many times I had wondered what it would be like to use one of these things, it just looked so hardcore. I clicked a button and wondered what it did. I turned it in my hands and pretended to pull the trigger—

BANG.

"JESUS CHRIST ERIKA!" Dino cried.

"Uhh…I didn't think it was that sensitive," I muttered sheepishly, my hand aching from the recoil.

Gokudera was furious, "BITCH, that is NOT a toy!"

"LOOK OUT!" Dino barked, diving towards him and knocking him to the floor. A chair came crashing passed them, and I jerked my head to see where it had come from. There was no one in sight. The corridor ahead was as empty as it was before.

Gokudera got to his feet, on the brink of exploding. "WHICH IDIOT THREW THAT?" he yelled, then stormed down the corridor with wrath on his shoulders. Dino cried for him to stop, but he only quickened his pace, disappearing at a corner. Dino ran after him, and not wanting to be alone, I followed them.

"Gokudera get back here! Gokudera!"

As we ran, the corridors became darker, we were going deeper and deeper inside the building. The place was trashed, with shattered glass and blood smears. Though there was blood, there was not one single dead body lying in our way. Something was not quite right. The lights had been destroyed, with only a faint flickering in some areas. Gokudera was nowhere to be seen, and when I finally caught up to Dino, I saw that he was limping against the wall. I came to his side and steadied him.

"Hey you just woke up from unconsciousness not too long ago, don't push yourself, you'll open your wounds," I said.

"I'm fine," Dino reassured.

"No you're not."

"I don't like the feeling of uselessness."

"Well now you know what it feels like to be a woman."

Dino chuckled with his usual calmness, I gave him an awkward pat on the shoulders. My sad attempt at making him feel better by degrading my own gender, when he had done so much more to comfort me. He took a moment to recollect himself, taking slow, deep breaths and rolling his shoulders.

"Good to go?"

"Good to go."

"Goddammit Gokudera is a hot head," I cursed.

Dino deliberately slowed his pace this time, and I was happy to walk by his side. As we walked, Dino insisted on showing me how to handle a gun, as stubborn as I was. I let my pride fade just a little, and watched him explain the mechanisms. It wasn't too hard, but he warned me that aiming was not as easy as it looked. We had no extra magazines so I was not to waste any bullets unnecessarily, like the one I wasted not too long ago. Just as I was repeating the steps to him, I heard a crash, a thud, and a sudden cry.

"AHHHHH!"

"Gokudera!" Dino called. A horrible feeling curdled inside my chest. "Gokudera, where are you?!" he started towards the staircase and as a reflex I pulled him back.

"WOAH, what are you doing?!" he yelped, bumping into me.

"STOP, I have a bad feeling!"

"We can't just leave him there!"

Growl.

"Shh." I pressed a finger over my lips. Dino and I listened.

Groooowl.

From the corner of my eye, I saw something move on fours. Dino motioned for me to move back, and we both pressed ourselves against the wall. I turned my head, and not more than 5 metres away, disguised by dim darkness was a nightwalker crawling along the ground. I felt the adrenaline from that night at the shelter return to me. Bad adrenaline.


	7. Remorse

**Chapter 7: Remorse**

I was not part of any religion, but deep inside of me I felt like there was something up there, watching over us. With that thought in mind, I mustered every spiritual sensation I could bring out and prayed for us to come out of this alive. I clutched the handle of my gun, and wondered if this was just like Resident Evil. If so, neither Dino or I could kill it without a shot gun. That was ridiculous, a game was not reality, maybe a single bullet to the head would do the job. I heard it move closer, and sniff the air like it noticed a presence. I hope I didn't smell too bad, although I hadn't taken a shower in days so I probably did.

Thank god for its weak sense of smell as it seemed to move on like nothing was wrong. I held my breath as its sturdy, flesh coloured body passed us. It took its time, stopping for a moment, even sitting for a minute. My face was turning white from holding my breath too long, but I'd rather pass out and be eaten without consciousness than eaten while screaming in pain. Dino was most likely thinking the same – he hadn't made a single breath or flinch since we saw the thing. It turned a corner, and just as I was about to let out a gasp I heard rattling footsteps from the staircase near us. The nightwalker turned its head.

Gokudera emerged from the stairs and leapt to the bottom without even hesitating. There was blood splattered across his shirt. He saw us and pointed his gun in our direction.

"DON'T SHOOT! IT'S US!" Dino cried, emerging from the shadows. Gokudera didn't stop pointing it our way.

"NOT YOU, BEHIND YOU!" he pulled the trigger, and a ear splitting bang echoed through the hallways. I turned around and saw a nightwalker slump to the ground then let out an chilling cry. It wasn't dead. I was wrong about simply killing it with a bullet to the head.

"RUN YOU IDIOTS!" Gokudera yelled, and all at once we sprinted down the corridor. I pushed my legs to run as fast as they could. All those morning runs and gym sessions were finally paying off. Running for your life, they say, was when you ran your fastest.

I could hear the collisions and pounding claws as more than one (I was sure of it) nightwalker chased us. We were mice that had entered a snake's burrow, and how stupid were we not to expect this. Just when we'd reached reception hall, as I made the turn, I lost my balance and skidded across the floor. I felt my elbows burn with scrapes and bruises. I saw my life flash before my eyes, but worst of all, I saw Dino – wide-eyed – turn around and reach out his arm.

"You fool!" I screamed.

It was too late, he grabbed my arm. I looked at him, afraid, frustrated and helpless all at the same time. Fuck if he has to die because of me. The nightwalkers had reached us.

Then there were nine rounds shot.

BANG, BANG, BANG. Click click. BANG. BANG, BANG. Click click. BANG. BANG.

BANG. The last round was followed with complete and utter silence. I had shut my eyes the entire time, and when I opened them I was on the ground, with Dino crouching beside me. I looked up, and Gokudera was staring flabbergasted at us. I turned around, and three nightwalkers lay lifeless on the ground. Beside Gokudera was a man clad in a sleek, black suit and a fedora hat. His eyes looked cunningly at me as he reloaded his shotgun.

"Move and get out into the sunlight before more of them come," he said.

Dino was the first to get to his feet, he lifted me up and motioned for Gokudera to open the doors. We hurried outside and saw Shamal, Kyoko and one unfamiliar person looking anxiously our way. The man that had saved us was the last to get out, he shut the doors firmly and set his gun down.

Dino was the first to speak. "You okay—"

I slapped him, as hard as I could. I wasn't regretting it when he looked at me, startled.

"Be glad it wasn't my fist," I hissed.

"Jesus, what was that for?!"

"Why would you risk your life like that?!" I barked, "Are you mad?!"

"I was trying to save you!"

"You don't KNOW me. We're practically strangers! Stop doing things that you'd normally do with your family or lover!" It frustrated me so damn much. It wasn't the first time he'd done that, and watching him throw his life away for a no-one like myself was like looking at a reflection of what I _wanted _to be. A selfless and good person. If he died by my hands, because of my stupid recklessness and my bad luck, whatever deity that watched over us would throw me in hell. "How would I be able to rest in peace knowing your blood was on MY hands?"

"It was my choice, and how can you still consider us strangers after everything we've been through?" Dino asked, much calmer than I was. His cheek was turning red, swelling even. _Now _I was starting to regret it. I wish I hadn't hit him so hard.

"I don't want to be anything more than strangers!"

He looked at me, quite hurt. He was misunderstanding what I meant.

"Not now, not when dying was as easy as tripping," I said quickly, biting my lip.

"It's all we have to keep our humanity…people we care for."

"Y-You're just wasting your time. The only people you should care for are your own blood," I spat, my barrier shielding the deep and dark thoughts I hid away was starting to slip, and I wanted more than anything for somebody to stop it before I humiliated myself.

"Erika that's—" Dino was interrupted, and thank whoever did it.

"Now is not the best time for bickering and self-depreciating. It'll be sundown soon, so I suggest we all start moving," The man in the fedora hat said.

"Reborn…Tsuna…" Dino had turned his attention.

"Neither is it the time for touching reunions, Dino."

...

…..

…..

It was probably the most awkward car ride I ever sat through. I didn't say a word to Dino, and he was too busy talking to Reborn, his long lost tutor, and Tsunayoshi Sawada, his long lost friend. I could tell by the way he acted that these two people were very important to him, and although I was happy for him I still couldn't find it in me to forgive him. The sad thing was, he hadn't done anything wrong, and so there was nothing to forgive, and thus I was stuck in this loop of being angry for my own selfish reasons. I know he had every right to risk his life for me is that was _his _choice, but it just wasn't fair to me.

"We were looking for supplies," I heard Tsuna say, "By the time we saw Kyoko and Shamal, they were just about ready to go inside the building."

"Man, we got lucky," Dino said.

I talked to Kyoko a bit, to get my mind off things, and listened to Gokudera tell his story of running into a nightwalker while inside the building, and having to use an axe to slice into its head off. That explained the blood all over his shirt. I also found out that Tsuna and Reborn were the people connecting Kyoko and Gokudera with Dino, and Shamal was actually Gokudera's godfather – no wonder they seemed unlike strangers. Apparently I had walked into a tight circle of friends. I felt like an outsider, and I _was _an outsider, but they had no choice but to keep me with them for as long as their human morals stuck. I started to tune out of their conversations and started worrying about my parents again. With no clues as to where they were, I was considering going back to my house in case they returned. But considering the state of things, it was probably too dangerous to stay at the house anyway. I missed them. I missed my life. Even if it was boring. My chest would ache like someone was squeezing my heart every time I thought of them.

"We're here," Shamal said, pulling up outside a warehouse. From a short distance, I saw a light turn on in one of the windows, and the door open. First a tall man with short hair emerged with a bat in his hand, then suddenly a petit girl had burst passed him and bolted towards us. The minute Tsuna hopped out of the van, she latched her arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest.

"Tsuna, I was so worried!" she cried.

"SHH, Haru there's not long until sundown!" Tsuna said.

She unattached herself from him and wiped her eyes. Kyoko appeared, along with Gokudera, and Haru just broke down into tears.

"Haru…" Kyoko said softly. She came to her side and embraced her gently. Gokudera made no attempts to join, but from the look on his face, I finally realised what he meant back when I assumed he and Kyoko were dating. The blushing, the sheer determination to find his friends, it was all because of this girl – Haru. His expression was currently filled with relief and adoration, and from the looks of it, this was an unrequited love. I smiled a little, and envied what these people had.

The tall man from before had come to join us, and he looked as elated and surprised (though not as emotional) as Haru.

"Gokudera!" he reached over for a headlock. Success – Gokudera was too distracted to notice.

"Hey, let go of me you asshole!" he struggled to break free.

"It's good to see you alive as well!"

Behind them, Haru and Kyoko had finished bonding, and I saw Kyoko whisper something into Haru's ear before walking over to the tall man. "Yamamoto, I'm so glad to see you well and alive, all of you."

"Kyoko!" he let go of Gokudera and hugged her. I could feel a black hole developing in my stomach, my parents and their faces were tumbling into my mind once again. I wanted to see them so, so badly.

"You know, I feel a little forgotten," Shamal said, taking out a cigarette.

When the short reunion was over, the twilight sky rang warning bells, and soon we were hurried inside the warehouse. It was big, and empty. I was under the impression it had long only been abandoned recently, because the storage racks were still half filled with rows and rows of cardboard boxes and pallets. To the very end was a metal staircase that led to an upper level staffroom of some sort. Behind me, Yamamoto had slipped his bat inside the door handle.

"Upstairs is safer," he said.

"Why?" I asked. He looked at me for the first time, probably unaware I was even here.

"Because it's sound proof, the echo is too dangerous to be staying down here," he approached me, and smiled, "Don't think we've ever met."

"We haven't, I'm just another survivor."

Kyoko, feeling it was her responsibility to introduce me jumped into the conversation, "Oh! Yamamoto this is Erika, we were in the same class for English."

I nodded my head, and he returned the gesture. Kyoko went on to explain everything that had happened up until now as we all headed up the stairs and into the staffroom. Once the crowd of people had fitted inside, Dino took over and continue with our side of the story. I found it uncomfortable whenever he referred to me, and I often caught him glancing over as if expecting me to forget the disagreement we had this afternoon. He would never understand why his risking his life because of me offended me so much.

I let my thoughts trail off and examined my surroundings. This room was quite spacious, the walls a dirty white. There was even a small kitchen pressed to the side. Across the floor were sleeping bags, quilts, pillows and blankets laid out.

"…and that's about all we've been through," Dino had finished talking.

"Jeez," Tsuna muttered.

"So, what's your story?" Kyoko asked.

Haru and Yamamoto looked at each other uneasily. Something told me they knew more about what was going on than the rest of us. Well, considering we were cut off from any means of media and communication it wasn't a surprise.

"Nana is gone," Reborn started, his voice as indifferent as his expression. But what was underneath, I couldn't tell.

Kyoko's eyes were suddenly filled with tears. She let out a muffled sound and then covered her mouth. Gokudera cursed under his breath, and even Dino fell silent. All I could do was listen, I had no idea who this person was.

"How?" Shamal asked.

"It was an accident," Tsuna said, a brooding look shadowing over his eyes, "We were at the medical centre, where most of the survivors were cooped up after those creatures appeared out of nowhere. We don't know how so many of them found the place, soon the entire building was overrun and people were dying on every floor. The police that were guarding the area couldn't do a thing, it was too spontaneous and most of them became victims rather than manpower. Then…then…"

"One of them got a hold of Nana, and Ryohei managed to take a gun from a dead cop. He was panicking," Reborn took over, placing a hand on Tsuna's quivering shoulder. The next few words he uttered came as a shock for everyone, except myself. "He shot Nana."

Silence swept over the room, and I could only piece together the situation from guessing. Nana was a part of their group, someone close to them, and this Ryohei person had attempted to save her, but killed her instead. I had never lost a loved one. My grandparents from my mum's side had long passed before I was born, and my dad never knew his parents. I had no close relatives, only the occasional I greeted out of politeness, and I kept my distance from anyone else. As for friends, I never had that many to begin with, but for the few that I had I was not close with. I couldn't empathise at all will these people, I felt like a monster.

"Kyoko, it wasn't your brother's fault. Nobody blames him," Yamamoto said. So that was it, Ryohei was Kyoko's brother. That's why it was so devastatingly tragic.

"He…where is he now?" Kyoko's voice was no more than a whisper.

"Ryohei was traumatised by what he did. He ran off after that and we never saw him again. We tried searching for him many times," said Reborn.

"Tsuna…I'm…"

Tsuna stopped her, and went over to embrace her as she burst out crying, "I don't blame Ryohei, it wasn't his fault. He tried to save her and that was his one and only intention."

She sobbed, "T-Tsuna…hic…Tsuna she was…"

"Nobody needs the burden of feeling responsible. I've mourned long enough, we all have. She would want us to move on and survive, and most importantly, she would want us to find Ryohei and bring him back to us."

Kyoko cried even more, tears streaming down her cheeks. I pressed a hand against my chest, waiting for any signs of remorse to appear, but there was nothing. I felt nothing.

…..

…

….

Night fell on us, and a majority of the group had fallen asleep. I tried for the first two hours, but found myself staring at the ceiling with a weight on my chest. I couldn't brush away the shame of having no sympathy for what I witnessed today. I only cared about myself and what would happen to _me_. I was horrible, and the fact that it was only _me _who felt this proved that I was inhumane.

I pulled off my blanket and got to my feet. Although it was dark, my eyes had long adjusted from being awake so long. Next door was a sort of lounge room that was probably where the warehouse workers once sat down to relax. I couldn't help picturing what this place was once like, filled with colleagues, probably complaining about how boring their jobs were. The irony of it all was just horrible.

I saw the lights were on from under the door, and wondered who else could possibly have trouble sleeping. When I walked in, immediately I felt like walking out again. Dino was sitting on the couch, staring down at his mug. He looked up when I came in, and I knew it was too late to back out. There was a jar of water on the table. I pictured it to be a bottle of vodka if there were some lying around, but he had to make do with what was available. I took a seat in the couch opposite to him, and turned my head to look elsewhere, resting my chin on the palm of my hand. For a while we said nothing, and I very much wanted it to stay that way.

Dino took the jar and refilled his mug. He gulped it down like he was drowning in alcohol. I heard him sigh and set the mug down again.

"Nana was Tsuna's mother," he said suddenly. I wasn't sure if he was expecting a reaction from me, but I said nothing. "She looked after me whenever I came to Japan. She'd greet me with open arms, cook for me, give me a place to stay. Not once did she complain. If anything she was more of a mother to me than my real mother ever will be."

So he had a bad relationship with his parents. I didn't expect that.

"Erika, what are you thinking of right now?"

"Nothing," I lied.

He chuckled, and I hated that he was never rude to me despite how I treated him. I peeked from the corner of my eye, and saw that he was wearing another one of my father's T-shirts, except that it looked good on him. It was the one with a black rearing horse on it, I always thought it was a strange piece of clothing for dad to own, but he said it was one of his favourites. On Dino, it seemed to suit him. To me he was like a wild stallion, carefree and strong, a part of a family. Everything that was beautiful to me. Maybe that's why my dad liked it so much, for what it represented.

"You frown whenever you're thinking."

I turned to look at him once I realised what he'd said. I never noticed. "How would you know?"

"Because I see you, drifting off into your own world. You block everything out," he said. "I'm jealous you can do that."

"What's so great about deep daydreaming," I said dryly.

"Forgetting your worries for even a second, I wish I could do the same."

"You wish for strange things."

He smiled, "Maybe."

I couldn't help feeling even more guilty for this afternoon. Dino was nothing but nice to me, and maybe instead of avoiding his attempts to reconcile, I should be the one to take charge. I owed him at least that much.

"Dino I'm sorry."

"For what?"

I almost snapped at him again, but found it in me to hold my tongue this time. "For slapping you, for yelling at you and for calling you a stranger. I don't really believe that we're only strangers."

"Then what are we?"

That was a strange question to ask. I considered it for a moment then replied, "Friends…I think."

"Or even better, survival buddies," he joked. Even at a time like this.

I grinned, "Survival partners within an apocalypse. That sounds good to me."

"Well then, I forgive you." He got up and I looked warily at him, wondering what he was up to. Dino came to sit beside me, and I shuffled over to give him some space. He put a hand on my shoulder and said, "But if we're going to be partners, you have to learn to trust me. We've been fighting together since the beginning, and I know it hasn't been long, but honest to whatever is up there It would suck if things ended now. You can't tell me you don't think the same?"

I shook my head on a whim. I definitely didn't want us to part ways so easily. Less than a week ago we were only strangers sitting in the same café, but now, we were partners that had each other's back. It was I who threatened to end things, never Dino. Before I knew it, he had become important to me, and that was my biggest fear.

"Good," he patted my head like a child, "Now first things first, I know you want to say something so say it before I drop dead from exhaustion. Couldn't sleep until I got at least this off my chest, you know—"

"I think there's something missing inside of me," I said on impulse. "I think I'm heartless, I'm mentally unable to sympathise or empathise with people, when I saw Kyoko crying I felt nothing."

"Don't say that, you were completely shaken when you saw those suffering back at the tent."

"But that wasn't out of sympathy, that was out of shock," I denied, "There were dead bodies and blood everywhere, who wouldn't be shaken?"

"That's far from proving that you're heartless."

"I am, I know it, because next to heartless I'm selfish."

"Every person is selfish in some way, you can pin it on yourself. Even I—"

Words were spilling out before I knew what I was saying, "But you don't understand, Dino. I couldn't sympathise with Nana's death, and I couldn't cry for the people that died in the tent, but I could cry for the death of my parents and I can push even the nicest people like yourself away because of my fear!"

Dino said nothing, and I took this as him finally seeing the real me.

"Are you afraid of death, Dino?" I asked.

"There are not many who aren't. I'm no exception."

"Well there is something I fear more than anything, something I fear more than death. I know it's normal, but the extent to how I try to avoid it is far from normal," I looked him in the eyes, something in me just vomited out my deepest thoughts, "I'm so scared of losing someone I care about that I do everything in my power to have _no one_. The fact that my parents are out there is probably the only reason I've got any humanity left in me. I have no friends I love, no other relatives, and I'm happy that it's this way, but since meeting you…that fear is just growing inside of me. The world is ending, and I decide to care for a stranger that I happened to see at a café! Do you see why I was mad at you when you risked your life to save me? If you had died, and I had survived, it would have made no difference! But if I can think like that, why is it I can't empathise or sympathise with other people?! Why is it that I'll shed tears only for myself?! It's because I'm a selfish coward!"

"ERIKA!" Dino yelled, pressing his hands firmly against my cheeks and looking at me eye to eye. "Erika calm down, this is completely normal!"

"I don't need your lies…"

"Your exaggerating everything. Your fear, your selfishness, you haven't lost your humanity. Listen to me," he demanded, forcing my gaze, "you are a flawed human being. You're just like me, and I'm just like you. You've got to stop hating yourself so much for something so stupid, you've got so much heart in you but you're just too blind to see it. If you can care about me, you can care about anyone. We aren't born to live a life of solidarity, even if it means hurt and betrayal."

Every word was stabbing me like thousand daggers. Maybe that was the reason I was so conserved and cold, I was just afraid of hearing someone tell me the honest truth. I just wanted an excuse to not be hurt by someone I loved, but I should've known that one day I would have to face my fears and move on with life. That friend of mine, who would talk about her future with a loving husband and children, I envied her. And to all the times I sat on that bench and waited for a guy to approach me, they were lies. I glared at anyone that came near me, and I was rude and snappy. I was everything I hated before I knew it.

I fought back the tears as Dino leaned in for a hug. Last time I was crying with his arm over my shoulder, this time I was crying with his arms around me. It seemed to me the more time we spent together the more weak I became. I decided to huge him back, at least this time I would appreciate what he has done for me. I thought I could cry forever, but apparently not. I fell asleep in his arms, probably looking an ugly mess, but for the first time since this disaster bestowed upon us, I could sleep peacefully.


End file.
